DeKalb County commissioners approve PDK Airport addition, but nearby residents remain concerned
DeKalb County commissioners have approved a plan to bring eight new jet hangars to the DeKalb–Peachtree Airport, but some homeowners who live just beyond the runway are worried about what this could mean for their property values.
The project, proposed by Sky Harbor, would take up more than 12 acres on the Chamblee airport's east side.
The county is calling the project a long-term investment in the area, but for some neighbors near PDK, the concern is much more immediate.
On Ricardo da Costa's street, you can see three generations of homes — the originals, the mid-2000s rebuilds, and the new buildings popping up now.
"We have a new construction like that one or that one," da Costa said, pointing to homes in the neighborhood. "So all new houses, and of course, it helps us to increase our property value, right? Because of the new — it's close to the city, and then we see that real estate is picking up quite a bit."
The bigger homes help boost values, but da Costa worries the noise from bigger jets could work against that — especially for people right under the flight path. While he was speaking to CBS News Atlanta on Thursday, there was a familiar sound coming from the direction of the DeKalb–Peachtree Airport.
"The bigger jets definitely is a concern," he said. "We are going to have much noise that's affecting the neighborhood here."
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved the $45 million project in November. The development is estimated to generate more than $576 million over its 50-year lease, with roughly $211.2 million directed to DeKalb County during the agreement. That's money for schools and community investment.
Certified residential appraiser Adam Scott agrees and says, in the long run, the airport's growth could actually lift home values.
"Now, if they come in and they start doing commercial planes flying in and out, then we're talking a different story. But that's not what they proposed and not what they approved," Scott said.
For da Costa and his dog, Lola, it may come down to just how loud the future sounds.
"The path of the PDK is right there. OK. Because you can see there is a plane coming right there. OK. Through the trees you can see," he said.
That's a question the neighborhood may soon hear the answer to.
The county is conducting a noise and air quality study expected next year and has created a community relations position to work directly with neighbors who have concerns.